The present disclosure generally relates to heat transfer labels, and more particularly to textured heat transfer labels.
Heat transfer labels are well known and used in various industries. For example, heat transfer labels are used to transfer indicia onto goods including consumer items ranging from cell phone cases to golf club shafts. Typically, heat transfer labels include thermoplastic color layers capable of being adhered to substrates upon application of heat and pressure.
It is of utmost importance that the indicia or marking transferred to the item is of a high quality. In many instances, the item is one that is intended to be used for a long period of time. For example, cellular telephones are intended to last for at least a number of years, as are golf clubs. To this end, the printed indicia (e.g. the manufacturer's name, trademark or the like) should be long-lasting, difficult to abrade and resistant to chemical environmental degradation.
UV curing heat transfer labels are also known. UV curing heat transfer labels can provide advantages over solvent-based or water-based thermoplastic ink systems since they do not emit volatile organic compounds and they exhibit improved abrasion resistance and chemical resistance. Such UV curing heat transfer labels are disclosed in Downs et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,919,834, which is commonly assigned with the present application and incorporated in its entirety by reference.
Further, it is desirable in some applications that the label has a metallized finish section once the label is applied to the goods. Various techniques to achieve the desired metallized effect are available. An example of a selectively metallized heat transfer label is disclosed in Colella et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,910,203, which is commonly assigned with the present application and incorporated in its entirety by reference.
Additionally, textured labels having a raised surface may be desired for some applications. A heat transfer label with a textured feel can be produced by using an embossed carrier. Such a label is produced by printing on a carrier film which has been embossed with the pattern that one would like to transfer to the item being decorated. However, such textured labels require an embossing process step, which can increase production costs (e.g. embossing tooling and added production step.)
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved textured heat transfer label, which may also include selectively metallized portions.